Back At It...Albeit a Few Hairs Short!

Hi everyone! I have to say thank you for your patience in my absence. I had no idea how long I intended to be away but I sincerely appreciate all of you for hanging around! Being a mom is amazing and a LOT of hard work! So many new things to learn and I am finally starting to feel confident in my abilities. I love my baby boy and it is true what they say, EVERYTHING changes once you have a kid. Finally, welcome to all the new folks who have joined the site! I never dreamed when I started that anyone besides my mom would care to read what I had to say, let alone 1000+ followers, and I am humbled and flattered. Thank you all!

Speaking of changes, I am still adjusting to my new schedule, my new body, and my new hairline. Of all the things pregnancy and childbirth did to my physical appearance, hair loss was not one I seriously anticipated. I think we've all heard of post-partum hair shedding but I had no idea I would see clumps of hair literally fall out in my hands! Every time I wash I lose a significant amount of hair and it kinda freaks me out! I have always had so much hair, did not notice any real change during pregnancy, and didn't really expect to lose much after. Around month 3 post-partum, I noticed that things began to change.

I was taking down a set of mini twists that I'd had in for a few weeks. As I got to the ones framing my face, I noticed I was losing clumps of hair. I ran out of the bathroom with my hair in my hands, showing my husband in disbelief. "I'm BALD!", I screamed. Ok, well not really but I do have very short patches where my temples are. It's like a thin layer of peach fuzz is beginning to emerge but still quite see through!

My bday was last Friday and we went out on Saturday with the family to celebrate. Truthfully I had all but forgotten about the hair loss until I saw these pics:

(Pic 1- I got a cookbook! Is that a hint or something???

Pic 2- Blowing out the candle on my cupcake. I still have some pp weight to lose so portion control is my friend, lol)

I don't know if you can see but clearly I am missing some strands. I am not extremely bothered but I do plan on taking special care of these areas so I can increase growth. My plan includes eating healthy and continuing my prenatal vitamin (both are givens due to b'feeding), gentle styling, and massaging castor oil weekly into my scalp.

I perused YouTube to find some inspiration with the castor oil:

Seems like folks are getting good results. Hopefully after a few weeks these patchy parts will fill in! Out are tightly pulled back buns and puffs.

Have any of you ever experienced hair loss due to pregnancy or other causes? If so, what have you done to remedy it?

You Tubetorial:Twisted Updo

Today's You Tubetorial is a beautiful updo design by BeautifulBrwnBabyDol. Love her! Just goes to show the amazing styles that can be created with natural hair. I can see this with a sparkly comb or a pretty flower to dress it up for an even more formal look. Or, rock it as is for work or as an effortlessly cool weekend look. Either way, it's a great protective style that looks awesome. I would love to give this a try but so far I've only done flat twists in the front so we'll have to see. If I get up the guts to attempt this style I will post pics :-) If anybody else tries it, I would love to see your results.

Check it out!

You Tubetorial: Vintage Hair

Check out Curlychronicles' vintage do for natural hair:

You Tubetorial: Quick Natural Hair Style

A hair 'refresher' for old twist-outs or braid-outs by blakealexis...

You Tubetorial:How To Bantu Knot Out Natural Hair Style

Check out Naptural85's vid on how she bantu knots her beautiful natural hair.

You Tubetorial: Two Strand Twist Style

A lovely flat twist-two strand twist updo from You Tube's PrettyDimples01.

You Tubetorial: How To Style a Toddler's Natural Hair

Haha this is so cute from You Tube's Chocolatetresses! I love the serenade at around 3:50. He's singing a throwback!

Whew this takes patience but hopefully it will inspire those of you with little curly fellas out there.

Natural=Expensive? One Natural's Perspective on Products

If you went natural before the wave of online blogs and sites dedicated to natural hair, you probably bought whatever you saw on the shelves of your local store. If you've gone natural since, you no doubt have heard the endless lists of ingredients to avoid, ingredients to look for, chemicals, preservatives, yada yada yada. Nothing wrong with information right? Maya Angelou did say "when you know better, you do better" and I think she's right. So it is always interesting to me to hear perspectives of natural ladies who have been around before the latest "hype" if you will. I remember when I went natural 11 years ago, there were no forums or blogs, at least not like today. I tried different things and stuck to what worked.

Lately, there have been tons of natural hair lines popping up around the web. It's really cool to see so many women taking control of their own hair and making products that work for them. However, one of the coolest things about going natural to me was having freedom from "needing" certain products to make my hair healthy and look good. If I buy something now it is for fun, not because I feel I have to have something in order for my hair to thrive. How many of us grew up using grease and water and our hair did just fine? Does that mean I will go back to using the thick blue gunk in a jar? Probably not. But I realize that it is less about what I use and more about how I treat my hair.

So what got me thinking about al this was AyannaNaeela's video below. It's a response to another YouTuber's comments about the expense of natural hair products. What do you think? Does natural=expensive for you? Have you found you spend more money now than you did before you went natural? If so, what do you attribute it to?

You Tubetorial:A Cool Twisting Method

photo credit
Naptural85 from You Tube shows us a really great way to achieve a perfectly separated twist out without the frizz! What a cool idea!

Instead of doing two strand twists that need to be separated and fluffed for fullness, she does a modified flat twist maneuver that allows each section to set. That way, when you take your twists down to wear out, each section is already separated out. Genius!

Check it out here!

Find Your Inner (& Outer) Goddess!

Happy Friday ladies and gents! I wanted to leave this vid from naturalnana with you to inspire you as we enter the weekend. Whatever you choose to do or wear or however you choose to style yourself, remember that you are a magnificent being and you deserve happiness...happiness that comes from within and does not depend on anything or anybody else. It is so powerful to realize that no matter what is going on around you or who you encounter, your happiness is in YOUR hands.

I hope these images inspire!

Natural Hair Tutorial: Mohawk

I think this is a super cute summer look by iamkamilah. I have never done a fro-hawk with braided sides. I think it is really cute, especially with all the two-strand twists all pinned up. Check it out!

You Tube Inspiration: Natural Brides!

I am so excited about my impending nuptials and have yet to decide on a style. Since we don't have a date I am unsure about the what type of weather to plan for. More than likely, it will be warm and humid. I would love your ideas and thoughts about a natural style for this bride to be!

Aside from that, I received a wonderful email with a link to this You Tube vid featuring Khamit Kinks brides 2010. As I have mentioned time and again, I LOVE pictures of natural brides. They are so few and far between in comparison to straight-haired brides. The only problem with videos like this one is that there never seem to be enough pics to satisfy me! So I hope you enjoy and feel inspired!

Update: What's Your Opinion? Protective=Unattractive?

You all have had such great comments about this post! It's funny how so many of us go through similar things along our natural journeys. I have often thought about how I feel cutest with my hair out but at the same time, it is not worth dealing with the intense, sometimes hour-long detangling sessions afterwards. Usually not a big deal after a twist out but wash-n-go styles are a HUGE No-No for me at this length. That puff in the post before this one left my hair very unhappy. Granted, part of that was due to some products I used but allowing my natural curls to dry into a shrunken state makes it really difficult to get through once completely dried.

I wanted to add to/respond to some of the comments that caught my eye. I could totally relate to Fina's comment:Now my hair is in a protective style ~90% of the time and I feel slightly unsafe/guilty when I wear my hair out. Sometimes I too have felt almost bad when my hair is out and blowing around, just because I know it will cause more knots/split ends. I've learned to take it easier on myself and not get all stressed out over my hair. Sometimes it was like I forgot that I don't HAVE to have a length or growth goal just because everyone talks about it. And if I fall asleep one night without a freaking satin cap, my hair will still be ok...

And Jc makes a good point here: I understand what she is saying but I do think there are other protective styles that could make her feel cute. For example the classic two french braids. Perhaps a few cornrows in the front and free hair in the back tied into a bun. It is not all twists and box braids, there are alternatives.

Now here is another interesting comment from Deborah Estelle : But I like how some protective styles look like Roshini or even yours in your pictures but for some reason some women end up looking like the slavery era!

Sometimes when my hair was shorter especially, I remember feeling this way about twists. They just seemed so drawn up to my scalp. It did remind me of images I'd seen on tv of folks portraying slaves. It's nuts that those and big 70's afros are pretty much the only images I remember seeing as a kid of natural hair. Luckily that is changing but I totally know what she means.

And sometimes, like Moni said, it's all about practicality based on the environment in which you live: I wear protective styles all winter and wear my hair out most of the summer. Michigan winters are just too cold to leave my hair out.

These are for CocoEuro!

In the end, when it comes to protective styles, some of us like them, some don't. That's ok! It is nice to be able to choose how to wear your hair, whether it be relaxed or natural, kinky or straight, up or out. I guess I would only add that feeling guilty or bad about doing something to your hair is a waste of time and no fun! Hair should not dominate our lives or our self-esteem, although I know that can be easier said than done. Thanks to all who have shared so far and everyone else, feel free to chime in!

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Taking a look around You Tube, I came across a video by SupremeDejhan entitled "I Don't Do Protective Styles..." I was intrigued because in the natural world protective styles are a mainstay, especially for those with length or health goals. I wear protective styles a lot nowadays that my hair has gotten longer. My hair tangles so easily and I get tons of tiny fairy knots if my hair is out for too long or gets blow around in the wind. Sometimes protective styles are less about my hair health and more for the sake of my mental health when I think about how un-fun it is to detangle a ratty mess!

One thing she says in the video is that she does not want to sacrifice her cuteness for more length and that she is fine with the amount of hair she has. My mom even talks about how she does not like how her hair frames her face when it is in twists or other protective styles. She says that she needs "big" hair to frame her face in an attractive way.

My question to you all is, do you wear protective styles a lot? If so, it is for length retention, growth, health?

Do you feel attractive when your hair is in protective styles? If so, what are some of your favorites? If not, what else do you do to yourself (earrings, makeup, clothes, etc) to enhance your appearance?

In another clip of the video, she mentions not wanting to spend so much time with her hair in protective styles that she does not get to enjoy her hair. For some reason it made me think of my grandma's old house in the living room where all the "good" couches were covered in plastic! Like, we were saving them for when company came over but in the mean time we all had to look at that thick plastic. I know, random example, but it was the first thing that came to mind. Is it worth it to you to keep your mane twisted or otherwise "protected" if that means big hair is out for a while?

Please share your love (or love/hate or just hate!) relationship with protective styles! I would love to know what you think about this!

A Cute Transition Style

I wish You Tube and natural hair blogs had been around when I went natural 10 years ago. I would have done such a better job at transitioning from relaxed to natural hair. As I've mentioned before, I flat ironed/pressed my whole senior year so that by the time I chopped, the front was heat damaged and limp. Tsk tsk. Oh well!

There is so much more info out there for you ladies who find yourself transitioning nowadays. Here is a vid I found that shows one cute transition style you can try with perm rods. Too cute!

Also coming up on Naturally Leslie...

~A review of Dr. Miracle products

~A review of Pantene Nature Fusion Conditioner

~My micro-braid take down (ahhhh!) and my thoughts on this style

~Reader Question about tangles!

Sunday Cuteness: Natural Inspiration

Feel inspired ladies (and gents too!). I enjoy these montage vids of beautiful natural hair. They inspire me and give me ideas for styling. Hope you enjoy your Sunday's Cuteness!

A Relaxed Opinion

I personally do not ever want to relax my hair again. I am not opposed to people who do, although I know it's not for me. When my hair was relaxed, it was beautiful and healthy, for the most part. My decision to go natural was more about the fact that I felt the need to "fix" something that I had come to believe was broken. The transition was sparked by the feel of the crinkles and waves that would sprout from my scalp in-between relaxers. I became soooo curious about my natural texture and just wanted to know what it was all about.

I found this vid on youtube about a young woman who has gone from natural to relaxed. She is fed up! Admittedly, there is a debate out there about some women who feel relaxed hair can never be healthy hair. I personally think it is really really hard to maintain a healthy head of chemically processed hair, especially if length is a goal. I can't think of the last time I saw what I considered to be beautiful relaxed hair. That is just my opinion. But it does not mean it does not exist.

I think the point of her rant is more that people should have the choice to be natural or relaxed and women should not make other women feel bad, no matter what they choose.

So, have you ever engaged in a "natural vs relaxed" debate? If so, who was it with and what conclusion did you come to? Do you think relaxed hair can be healthy hair?

Are Sisterlocks for You?

I always say that if I didn't want to ever wear my hair loose again, I would seriously consider locks. Sometimes I really get tired of detangling and twisting and I daydream about how much easier it would be to have get-up-and-go hair. I think they are so pretty and are very versatile. But, after a few days of twists or braids I remember that there is just something about rocking a puff or twist-outs that keep me from going there.

My mom sometimes complains about constantly having to do her natural hair too. I will admit that working with natural hair can be frustrating, especially if I neglect it a bit and let it airdry or sleep on it so it mats. Our hair does require a certain amount of patience and care that straight hair does not. Does this make our hair less than or bad? Of course not! You guys know me better than that. I'm just saying that when it's dirty and I'm tired, it just doesn't get done till the next day!

So when I ran across this article on Essence.com about the very popular Sisterlocks, originated by Dr. JoAnne Cornwell, it made me revisit the idea of locs in general.

"In 1993 Cornwell invented a special crochet hook that tightly intertwines between 300 and 500 strands of hair. The result: thin locks that represent a celebration of curls and kinks that are easy to style, using curling irons, rollers and styling products, without changing the natural texture of the hair with chemicals." (Above photo and excerpt from Essence.com)

I don't know, what do you guys think? I think they look pretty and they definitely seem versatile. They would also eventually grow very long if left alone, which I know matters to some women who want natural hair that also shows its length. I can't imagine maintaing them myself and I'm sure you would need to go to a special loctician to get them re-twisted every so often.

Also, Sisterlocks recently posted some youtube vids in response to Chris Rock's Good Hair.

I really love around 4:00 where Dr. Cornwell talks about the same thing I felt when I left the theater. The slideshow of pics of lovely natural girls is

great!

I guess in the end, I still do not want to lock my hair. I'm not ruling it out, never say never as they say. But, if I ever get to the point where I do, I might consider Sisterlocks.

Is there anyone out there who has or knows of someone who has Sisterlocks? If so, what has been your experience? Would you recommend it? Let us know!

Rollerset Tutorial!

Hello guys and dolls! I have never roller set my hair since it's been natural but lately I have been tempted to give it a try. I want to find more styles that I can do that will last a week, even through working out and sleeping rough (which I usually tend to do!). So I found these two vids on youtube and thought I'd share.

What do you think?

Twistpiration!

Fall is here and winter is right around the corner. That said, how do you plan to wear your hair this season?? For me, I am looking forward to using more twisted styles to keep my hair moisturized and protected from the cool, dry air.

So I thought I would share this video by one of my You Tube faves, PRETTYDIMPLES01, about all the great styles you can do with twists. The girl is super creative and always looks so cute. I love watching her and usually come away with some great new things to try. Check it out!

Stupid Stuff People Say....

Does stuff like this happen to you??? I work in a middle school and I hear stupid crap like this all the time from young people who have internalized their elders' opinions of self-hate. She's so cute and funny! So what do you guys think? I think what she said about nappy vs thick was interesting. Is nappy bad to some people? IDK Sometimes I get tire of talking about hair. Then I read/see/hear something that makes me wanna discuss...